This invention concerns an optoelectronic theodolite sensor for the measurement of vertical and/or horizontal angles.
In contrast to the customary practice of using theodolites with electrooptical measuring circles, tubular levels, box levels or sextants for the measurement of angles in navigation and geodesy, for checking the position of vertical and horizontal parts, for measuring the tilt of the earth's surface, the deflection of the vertical and earth tides, or for measuring seismicity, the design of this invention provides an optoelectronic theodolite sensor which can be used for all of these measurement tasks.
The levels, pendulums, gyroscopic markers, mercury horizons or plate glass panes used to measure the visible or artificial horizon in prior art devices can be applied to measurement of the deflection of the horizontal or vertical only by means of graduated circules or graduated arcs. Moreover, these instruments or sensors are either imprecise or very costly to manufacture, and they are usually capable of only a limited field of application.